West Ham are on the verge of sealing a transfer swoop for Toulouse defender Issa Diop after agreeing terms on a deal in principle on Wednesday afternoon, according to Sky journalist Kaveh Solhekol.
The Sky Sports reporter claims on his personal Twitter account that the Hammers are set to sign the 21-year-old powerhouse for a fee up to the region of £22million (€25million), having impressed over in Ligue 1 last season.
West Ham close to agreeing deal to sign Issa Diop from Toulouse. Deal worth up to €25m. Deal agreed in principle this afternoon. Highly-rated 21-year-old centre back
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) June 13, 2018
The 6’3″ (source: Transfermarkt) defensive colossus made 41 appearances for his side over the last campaign, scoring three goals, as well as being handed the captain’s armband, and he has appeared at every level of youth football for France from the under-16s to the under-21s.
Good move for West Ham?
The Irons are in desperate need of some defensive reinforcements and it should come as no surprise that their second swoop of the summer, after Ryan Fredericks, is a centre back.
Not everyone who has made the move over from France has been a success in England and there will be some fears that the big money price tag will result in the youngster failing to live up to expectation.
It is a big money move for a big player, and the Hammers will be hoping his physical stature can dominate attackers in the Premier League, having been forced to come up against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar when facing PSG.
This is Futbol rating: 7.5/10
Likely to happen?
If Kaveh Solhekol is reporting it, then it is pretty much a dead-cert it will be going ahead.
The Sky reporter is a reliable source of information and fans will take his word as gospel.
Still, as proven by Nabil Fekir’s failed move to Liverpool, anything can happen, and there will be many eyes watching on to make sure this one gets over the line.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10